


Of Light and Darkness

by TheForgottenSin



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, KH Spoilers, Original Character(s), Possible smut later, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:49:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24009145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheForgottenSin/pseuds/TheForgottenSin
Summary: What happens when a boy who's heart was born of darkness, and a Princess of Heart come together?Will their hearts compliment one an others?Or are they destined to bring nothing but suffering?This is the true version of my Vanitas/Reader fic, "Of Darkness and Light". This version has my OC Lili Fairbairn as our lead, and features much more world building and more in depth character lore. Given all the detail's and lore I can now toss in this version will most likely be longer than the reader insert version and will probably have entire chapters specifically for this version that won't be seen in the reader version. That said, if you're not interested in my OC the reader version of this story will still be updated for you!
Relationships: Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick note, I will still be working on the less detailed reader version of this story. If you'd prefer that over an OC and lore I totally understand lol. This will be here for myself, and anyone who might be interested in my character and her relationship with Vanitas.

The World Of Possibility

A world once without the touch of sentient life. Tree's and birds had ruled these lands long ago. An oasis of potential. A world of possibility. Those that knew of far off lands, other worlds and powerful magics, were the ones who had taken hold in this world. Stumbling across the free landscapes teeming with life. People began to set up in this new world, settling in and making it a home. A place to start a new life.

It didn't take long for the people who settled in this world to build it up. Cities and towns popped up all over, with some world travelers coming and going while others settled in to make their lives a permanent part of this world.

Lili was a descendant of the those who had traveled to this land. After generations and generations the wisdom of other worlds remained, in fact it wasn't uncommon for visitors from other worlds to come by. Lili knew of worlds and of darkness and light. Of keyblades and ancient wars fought among their users. She knew a great many things. But she didn't know she was one of the Princess' of Heart.

He did.

* * *

Sweat dripped from a young blonde woman's forehead as she pushed a cart of cleaning supplies into the back closet of the first floor. The building was incredibly tall, rooms were rented out to different business' and companies. The bottom floor as a whole belonged entirely to the building's owner, who stepped out of his office a few doors down from the girl.

“Ahh! Lili, you're still here?” The older man asked.

Lili turned to the man with a warm smile, “Yup! I just finished wiping down the windows by the entrance.”

The man let out an amused sigh, “Every time the temp agency sends you over you end up working much later than you're supposed to ya know?”

Lili removed the rubber gloves from her hands and tossed them into a nearby trash can, “Sorry about that, it doesn't feel right to leave the job half done though.”

“I don't mind at all,” The man replied, “Makes me wish you would seriously consider my offer to be a permanent employee.”

Lili forced a small chuckle, “I'm sorry sir, I-”

“I know.” He chuckled, “You're just trying to build up your funds until you can leave.”

Lilie smiled sheepishly, taking her waist length hair out of the pony tail she used to keep it out of her way while working.

“Either way, here, for your savings.” The man nodded, handing Lili a small stack of Munny.

Lili held her hands up, “No, no! That's alright, really, you're already paying me through the temp agency. This really isn't necessary.”

The man took one of Lili's hands and placed the Munny in her palm, “Consider it a bonus, for the overtime.”

Lili chewed on the side of her cheek as she looked at the small pile in her hand, “Well... I guess... If you're sure. You know it's not like I'm hurting for cash right, I'm only working so I can-”

“Hey now, I'm not hurting either, just take it. No need to feel so guilty about it.” The man reassured her with a warm expression.

A sigh escaped Lili, “Alright...”

“Good.” The man nodded triumphantly, “Now get home, I hear there have been heartless seen out at night so make sure you're careful.”

“I will be!” Lili nodded as she headed for the exit, “Thank you!”

Dusk was setting as Lili stepped out of the building and began her walk through Hope's City. She was idly looking through her wallet, counting up the money in her head from the payment she would receive from the agency for her work and the bonus her boss for the day gave her. Adding that along with the fund she had already stored away from her previous work.

“It's still not enough...” Lili sighed.

It was deflating but not all too shocking. She'd been saving up her Munny in the hopes of one day buying a ship. All her life she'd heard stories of far off worlds. Her mind sparked and she longed to visit the places she'd heard in those tales. Worlds with mermaids, monsters, royalties, even talking animals! Worlds with castles tall enough to touch the sky and towns with hidden charms and mysteries. It was nerve-racking and quite overwhelming, but gosh if it wasn't exciting! Her chest whirled at the idea of visiting these other worlds, the adventures that would lie in wait.

_I'll get there one day._ She assured herself. It was a hard grind to get the Munny needed but it would be worth it once she was able to head off an explore foreign worlds, see and experience her own stories first hand.

Lili took a turn down a lesser walked alley. One practically untouched which lead to the city's abandoned district. Given how bustling and lively the city itself was, this area was a stark contrast of emptiness. What happened to cause this area to be abandoned was a bit of a mystery. Officially, the city said the area was unstable... whatever that was supposed to mean. Rumors about why it was left to rot were widespread and many. From theories of a possibly devastating battle, or maybe intrusions from Darkness.

However, Lili had been walking these paths of the otherwise lifeless section of the city for years. Never having encountered any issues herself. Whatever caused the abandonment all those years ago when she was just a child, she had no concern for that now. It was a much faster route out of the city, her home being a somewhat rural town, especially compared to this bustling city just several miles away. The town of Woodburrow. It was small, with several clustered homes surrounded by forest.

After all day in the concrete jungle of Hope's City, Lili was looking forward to the comforting scents of the forest. First though, the journey through the dreary and desolate city district. It wasn't that bad really. Very quiet but very familiar by this point.

The same old path. The narrow alleyway, leading into the cracked paths of pavement and concrete, chips and cracks in the walls. All seemed to point to this area being left for far longer than it was. Unless of course, something really did happen to damage it.

Lili pushed those thoughts aside. There was nothing to worry about. The path she took was the same as always. Familiar, predictable, and unchanging with nothing out of the ordinary. Except that Heartless over there. Yeah that's certainly new.

_Nope._

Lili spun around on her heel in an attempt slip away without being noticed. Too late for that though. Several more Heartless were creeping out from behind a stack of rotten wooden boards that were lied in the direction she turned. On both sides Shadow Heartless were inching closer to the blonde girl.

_Shit._

Lili's back pressed against one of the deprecate walls of the alley. With a deep breath Lili raised her hand, a silver and blue wand forming in her grip from a brief flash of light. With the weapon materialized Lili held her arm out. Hand trembling slightly with nerves.

“S...stay back! Don't make me use this!” She yelled at the dark creatures.

Her threat did nothing to slow them. If anything it agitated the creatures further. The group of Heartless began rushing towards Lili at a much faster pace. Shooting her arm out in the direction of one of the creatures a blast of light shot out from the end of her wand. The light struck one of the creatures square in it's chest, the well aimed hit taking the creature down. It's body disintegrating in the blink of an eye.

If those Heartless weren't agitated before they sure were now. They launched themselves at Lili, who could only let out a startled squeak as she attempted to both dodge and blast the attacking creatures. A much easier said then done task. Her legs and arms were battered and scratched by the onslaught of Shadows. She did manage to strike a few here and there, but her blasts were not powerful enough to destroy their bodies without a well aimed blow. Something she couldn't achieve while under siege by them.

With some amount of luck however Lili managed to blast enough of them away for just long enough to run off. Running deeper into the city's abandoned district. More Heartless crept out of the ground. Popping up like black daisy's, all joining in on the pursuit of Lili. Realizing her absolutely no win situation Lili dashed for one of the doors of an abandoned building.

The door was jammed shut though. She tackled her body against it as hard as she could, her shoulder protesting the action. It refused to budge however. Lili turned around, sending out one last wild and directionless blast of energy from her wand. She didn't manage to hit any of the encroaching creatures in her frantic panic. Her body froze, arms raised up to try and cover her face as her eyes squeezed shut to at least somewhat brace herself for the oncoming attack.

The attack never came though. A gust of wind was all that buffeted Lili. The sounds of metal clashing and thumping of something being thrown or knocked around filled the air, followed by the disintegration sounds of destroyed Heartless. Lili barely processed any of this, stuck in her own head panicking about the oncoming threat.

Instead of being slashed and beaten however, a male voice spoke, “My, my, you're quite the careless one aren't you, princess?”

Lili lowered her arms slowly, unsure. She peeked out from her arms to spot a figure in a dark coat. The voice she heard was clearly a male's but she couldn't tell much more about the stranger, his head obscured by a black helmet with a silver trim. She stared at the figure wide eyed, her wand fading from her hands as she lowered them.

“Who are-” She paused. Something was missing from this situation. OH YEAH. THE ARMY OF HEARTLESS.

She looked around frantically, “You beat them all!?”

The figure scoffed, “Of course, I'm not a weakling like you.”

Well he was rude. Not wrong, but still rude. Not to mention snarky. But he did save her life, she should at least try to be grateful, even if his attitude seemed to need work.

Lili forced an awkward chuckle, “Well, thank you for saving me. I'm Lili.”

“Whatever.” Well he sure was one friendly son-of-a-gun.

Lili gave a small but awkward smile. She really felt the need to give him a what for with his attitude, but it didn't exactly feel right since she'd be toast right now without him. Silence hung in the air around the two for quite a while. Lili struggled to find any words to use to break the quiet tension when she finally took notice of something. A suspiciously key shaped blade made of what looked to be gears in his hand.

_OH MY GOSH! IS THAT A KEYBALDE? A REAL ACTUAL KEYBLADE? THIS GUY IS A KEYBLADE WIELDER!?_

A small gasp escaped Lili's lips. Sputtering several incoherent sounds as her brain tried to catch up with her mouth. Vanitas turned his head in her direction at the strange sounds coming from the girl.

Finally she managed to sputter out a somewhat coherent sentence, “Y-you, th-that-! That's a keyblade!”

The dark figure tilted his head to the side before slowly raising the blade to his mask covered face, looking to examine the weapon himself, “Wow, I had no idea.”

Sass and snark. Sasnark. Snarkass? Yeah Snarkass seemed to fit him. Man this dude had a lot of attitude. Savior or not he was downright patronizing at this point. Lili narrowed her eyes at him.

She let out frustrated huff, “Can you turn the snark off for one second?”

“Can you turn the annoying off for one second?” he retorted, one hand resting on his hip.

_OH OK WE'RE DOING THIS HUH?_

“Listen here you-!” No wait more importantly, “Ah-! Keyblade-! You-! Other worlds-! Tell me!”

Nailed it.

He looked at Lili. Or so she assumed, not particularly easy to tell since his face was covered by that mask, for a long while as she stared at him with wide eyes filled to the brim with wonder. An actual keyblade wielder was standing before her. She'd heard tales and legends of those able to use such powerful weapons. Weapons that could effect hearts themselves.

“You're even more annoying now.” He finally replied after a long stretch of silence.

Lili's cheeks puffed out in irritation as she set her hands on her hips, “And you're incredibly rude- ah... ah... I didn't catch your name...”

“None of your concern.” He spat back.

Alright. Time for her to change tactics. All that was happening now was that Lili managed to piss this guy off further than he already seemed to be naturally. Calming herself Lili approached more calm.

“I'm sorry.” She sighed, “I just... I've never met a keyblade wielder before, I just have so many questions!””

He angled his head towards Lili. Even without seeing his expression a strong amount of 'fuck off' energy radiated off of him. He certainly must have been wearing an expression that was just indicative of how absolutely done with her he was behind that tinted visor.

“...Don't go throwing yourself at the heartless again, unless you decide to get strong enough to actually keep yourself alive.” He said, turning his back on her.

Wow, he was totally blowing her off. Cool... Why'd he even bother going through the effort of saving her? He seemed to dislike Lili from the second they met.

She watched him walk away with a conflicted pang in her chest. One part of her was pushing to race after him and urge him to stay. However the winning side of her heart was the nervousness she felt. This one guy was able to completely destroy an entire squad of Heartless by himself. She didn't want to take the risk of pissing him off further and having that power turned her direction. Instead she just watched as he vanished from sight with a heavy sigh.

Maybe with any luck she would find him around town or in the city sometime? If he didn't already leave the area completely that is.


	2. Chapter 2

Several days had passed since Lili had encountered the stranger in the black coat. She kept her eyes peeled, asking around town or poking into the inn's and hotels nearby every now and then to see if maaaaaybe, just maaaaaaaaaaaaybe he had decided to stay a while and got a room. But alas, he was nowhere to be seen.

Lili kicked at a pebble on the ground, as if that would lift her deflated spirits. To think, she actually met a **real** Keyblade wielder, only to let him slip through her fingers. With her luck, she figured that he'd probably left the world by now. Off gallivanting and throwing that snarky attitude of his at people in some far off world.

Lili let out an overly dramatic sigh as she continued to walk around aimlessly. At the very least she could work on her magic more. The stranger might have been rude but his comments were spot on. Lili needed to be stronger, especially if she were going to go off exploring other worlds some day.

It's not like she was a total novice. Lili had been taught the basics of magic by her father when she was a child. She might not be top quality at magic but she at least knew the basics. Her aim was good too, when she wasn't being dog pilled by heartless and unable to focus on getting a clear shot. Yes, static opponents and targets were an easy mark... Ok maybe she should work on her target practice as well.

Despite the need for more practice, going to a professional instructor would cost munny. Munny that Lili was desperately trying to stock up for that ship she dreamed of. So refining her skills on her own was the best option. Besides, she knew what to do, mostly anyway. Just had to work on actually taking that knowledge and putting it into practice to hone her magic abilities.

She made the resolve. Starting today Lili would work on her magic gosh dang it! Now came the big question, where exactly was she going to go train?

There was always the abandoned district of the city. But that was crawling with heartless lash she saw. It would be better to avoid that space until she was able to properly defend herself. Another option would be the field a few feet from the housing district. Wide open space to really move around in, but not much in terms for targets to practice on. There was another place she could go though.

Lili walked through the empty field, pushing into the forest that bordered the west end of Woodburrow. This densely lined forest of trees and underbrush was a familiar place for Lili.

As a child she spent so much time exploring the deep forest on 'adventures'. She knew just about every inch of this place. Every boulder and hill. The cliff side that overlooked the area further to the north west. And of course, her current destination.

A large tree, wide and tall, with branches that created a canopy over the clearing that surrounded it. White moss encompassed the whole thing, from roots to the tip of it's branches. At night the whole thing would glow brightly, the moss having some kind of bioluminescence that could cut through the darkest of nights.

Lili smiled, walking up and patting the mossy trunk of the tree, “Why hello, big glowy tree! How are you?”

Even in the daylight the large tree seemed to emit a soft glow in the shadows created from it's own shade. Not very noticeable but clearly there if Lili focused on it.

“You're so pretty.” She nodded to the tree with a smile, “Now, time to get to training!”

Lili summoned her wand, gripping the metal in her hand. She turned on her heel to face away from the tree. She could see the cliff from here, standing tall as it overlooked the forest. Large rocks littered the forest on this side from storms which knocked them loose from the cliff side. She scanned the selection of them, strolling over a few feet from a particularly large rock.

Lili stretched out her arm which gripped her wand, aiming it at the boulder before her. A light shone and shot out as a beam at her target.

However, the rock didn't seem fazed at all. There was no visible damage to prove she even launched an attack at the object. Well that wasn't a great start.

_Dammit. I really am weak, huh?_

Lili narrowed her eyes at the rock. She launched another attack, and another. Keeping up a barrage of magic blasts at the sturdy force. Blast after blast, the rock took no notice of any of it. Barely a scuff on it's surface no matter how desperately Lili blasted away at it.

It had been hours. Lili had tossed herself into this training with a stubborn spirit but that energy was fading. A disgruntled groan escaping her lips as her wand faded from her hand. Exhausted, she flopped back onto the forest floor.

This was getting her no where. She wasn't any better off than when she started. Just way more tired.

_At least the sky is pretty today._ She noted.

Through the gaps in the tree line Lili could clearly make out the warm red and oranges that painted the sky. Sunset was a beautiful time, at least she could enjoy this view.

Absentmindedly Lili rambled to the large moss covered tree several feet away , “Do you think the sky looks different on other worlds? Or is each one the same pattern?”

She turned her body to face the tree, “You're a tree though, so I guess you wouldn't know. No way you can go to another world with your roots planted so deeply in this one.”

“Don't take any offense to this glowy tree,” Lili continued, rolling over with a sigh to stare back up at the sky, “But I would hate to be you. Stuck in the same place forever. I can't wait to change that for myself.”

Though, she did have to admit, the sights on this world were quite beautiful when she stopped to take them in. The current display of color above her head a good example of that. She could have lied there watching as the sky gave way to night and the colors shifted once more. However, fate declared that was simply not meant to be.

A blast of fire shot off next to Lili, causing her to jolt up into a sitting position. She turned her head in time to watch the fire strike it's target, a Heartless. The creature destroyed and fading away from the powerful attack. Now whipping her head to the opposite direction she searched for the source of the attack.

There he was. Standing before her in all his glory. Keyblade in hand and still pointed in the direction of the heartless he just struck down.

_Gasp! Mr. Snarky keyblade wielder!_

“It's you again!” Lili sprung to her feet, practically bouncing over to the dark clad boy.

The boy lowered his hand, letting his keyblade dissipate as he did.

“Didn't I tell you not to throw yourself at the heartless, Princess?”

Ahh yes, living up to his 'name'. That snarky attitude of his was shinning through in spades.

Lili pouted, “I did not throw myself at it! I was here all day and didn't see a single one, that little guy just... snuck up on me!”

She didn't need to see his face behind that helmet of his to just **feel** the eye roll he was giving her as he crossed his arms. No expression was needed to know just how much sass this boy radiated. Honestly, it was kind of impressive.

Lili wasn't about to let his attitude ruin this for her again though, “I didn't think I'd see you again.”

“Well,” He said leaning his back against the glowy tree, “I didn't expect you to put yourself in danger again. Not this soon anyway.”

Lili let out a snicker, his attitude was actually amusing the more she was expose to it. His constant need to be a snarky punk was definitely catching her attention. She walked over and sat herself down on the ground next to where he chose to lean. Looking at his mask covered face before turning her head up to the sky once more.

“What's it like, on other worlds?” She asked.

The guy shifted his weight as he changed his position slightly, turning his head to look down at the girl before he spoke.

“Why should I humor your question with a response?” He challenged.

_Really!? Still going to play the snarkass little bitch, huh? Back at it again with rude remarks for days._

Lili puffed out her cheeks as she glared at him, “You jerk!”

He didn't reply, just turned his head to look up at the sky. Lili relaxed, it wasn't worth actually getting mad over. Besides she actually enjoyed his snarky attitude. It was funny to hear what new ways he would come up with to dis her next.

While the sun had not gone down completely the growing chill as night crept its way forward bit at Lili. Standing up she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm them up again. She didn't expect to be out this late, otherwise she would have brought a jacket.

She didn't want to leave. Even if it was just awkward silence she wanted to spend more time with this mysterious keyblade wielder. But now wasn't the time.

Lili turned to face the boy who shifted to face her in turn.

“I hope I'll see you again.” Lili confessed.

She meant that, truly and genuinely. Despite his attitude his company made her heart start to swell. Being around him just felt right.

He tilted his head ever so slightly, “Is that so?”

“It is.” Lili smiled warmly before a gust of wind sent another chill through her body, “I should get home though.”

The guy didn't respond, simply leaned back to his resting place facing forward. Lili felt deflated at his behavior. This feeling she had did not seem to be mutual. She stared at him for a moment longer before finally conceding and turning towards home.

She didn't make it more than a few steps before his voice caused her to pause.

“Vanitas.” He said.

Lili turned to him with a puzzled expression, a “Huh?” escaping her as she waited for him to clarify.

He turned his head to look at her, “My name is Vanitas.”

Lili stood there silent for a moment as she processed this exchange. He gave her his name, maybe he did want to spend more time with her after all.

Lips curled into a cheery smile Lili turned to face him, “I see, well, goodnight Vanitas.” She spoke warmly before giving him a small wave and heading away from him towards home once more.

The chilled air didn't seem nearly as bad now on her way back home. A warmth radiating from Lili's heart. She really wanted to see him again. Vanitas.

* * *

Vanitas watched Lili walk off and disappear from view. As she left his sight he scolded himself silently.

He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he did any of that. Talk to her in general. It didn't make sense. He shouldn't be wasting his time like this.

His mission was to keep this Princess of Light safe. That did not require him actually interacting with her. He should just mop up the heartless that go after her and slip away. Not hang around with her.

And why the hell did he go so far as to tell her his name?

It was all so infuriating, and pointless. In his irritation Vanitas ended up summoning an unversed to to cut the fledgling emotion down with his keyblade. Grunting at the wave of pain that rippled through his body after destroying it.

Whatever, at least he understood that.


	3. Chapter 3

For the last several days Lili had eagerly hopped out of bed in the early morning, hoping that she might run into Vanitas once more. Their last meeting was productive but so short, she wanted to see him again.

But it was nearly a week since she last saw him now. Lili had only taken two temp jobs since she last saw the dark clad boy. So much of her time was spent exploring so she might run into Vanitas again. Her spirits were starting to get deflated. Would she ever see him again?

She had poked around nearly every corner of the city these past few days. Today she looked over every rock and tree in the forest.

No Vanitas here. No Vanitas there. No vanitas anywhere.

She let out an exasperated sigh as she flopped down onto her bed. All her efforts to located the masked keyblade wielder were turning up empty. Though, there was one place she could still go to check.

The abandoned district of Hope's City. She'd been trying to steer clear of it after her encounter with the heartless there. It was too dangerous for her to stroll in right now. But, maybe that was the key?

Lili's two meetings with Vanitas both had two things in common. They took place in isolated areas far from crowds, which she figured was on brand for him. He didn't seem like the type for crowds. But there was another constant, the Heartless.

Every time she had encountered Vanitas to this point he had saved her from the Heartless. That couldn't be a coincidence. Maybe he was hunting them? It would make sense, he showed up around when they started to cause problems on this world.

Perhaps if Lili could find some Heartless they would lead to her running into Vanitas? A completely sound and not at all dangerous plan indeed. Yeah, she really shouldn't risk that. Not until she was stronger, but who knew how long that would take! He might be gone for good by then, if he wasn't already.

Maybe she should instead try and get a bit closer to where the heartless gather. The abandoned district. If she stuck to the edges she could look for him while still having an escape close by. It seemed worth a shot at least.

_After all what could go wrong? Hahaha… I am all kinds of desperate._

Lili sighed. Whatever, desperate or not she was far to stubborn to quit now. If there was a chance she could run into that snarkass Vanitas again her logic was not going to be able to stop her.

Lili rolled into her covers for the time being. If she left now she wouldn't reach the city until night fall, which was probably not ideal for staying alive if she would be in heartless territory. She could head out tomorrow, for now she was better off sleeping. Or trying to at least.

* * *

Vanitas sat outside Lili's home, perched on a branch in one of the large nearby trees. She sure wanted to test his tail on her didn't she? Not that she had any clue of him shadowing her. He wasn't so careless to be made by a naive fool.

Still, she had been running around like a bat out of hell every day. It wasn't even like she was doing anything either. Sure she took a job or two but most of her time she was walking around aimlessly. Poking around corners or looking in shadows. Searching for something.

Whatever, as long as it kept her busy he supposed that was fine. She would come home after words and knock out for hours. Giving him plenty of time to slip off and get some training in. If she wanted to exhaust herself by something as simple as mindless exploration he wasn't going to complain.

In fact, she seemed to be calling it a day right now. The sun wasn't even set, and she never left her house until after sunrise. That gave him plenty of time to ditch this babysitting duty and get some training in.

Princess of Light be dammed, that didn't entail her being special enough for him to waste all of his precious time acting as her personal bodyguard.

Besides, it's not like Master Xehanort said he had to watch this dumb girl round the clock. If she was safe and tucked away then Vanitas should have no problem working on his strength.

It honestly made him wish that he could just throw this stupid girl in a cage somewhere and leave her there. That would be so much more efficient that this. But for some foolish reason or another Master Xehanort seemed to want the Princess' remaining on their worlds for the time being.

Whatever. Dumb as it was these were his orders. Now, time to get some actual work done. The last thing Vanitas was going to do was let himself get soft and weak.

* * *

Lili ended up passed out for longer than she expected. She originally planned to head out in the morning. But she ended up sleeping until nearly noon. Which put a damper on her plans. She'd need to be quick about this.

Lili practically ran the whole way to Hope's City. Avoiding the main path and entrance, she was headed to the abandoned district anyway. It was already closer to her town so she might as well bypass all that and head straight for the source.

_Alright, here goes nothing._

Lili pumped herself up, summoning her wand at the ready just in case any Heartless poked their heads out towards her. She was going to stick to the edges, but having wasted so much of the day by sleeping in she didn't feel she had time for that.

Besides, it couldn't hurt to just head a bit deeper into the abandoned district, could it? She was still sort of near the exit anyway. With one more deep breath to calm her nerves Lili headed into the decaying concrete and empty streets.

Keeping her wand held firmly in both hands Lili cautiously poked around the area. Trying to keep her wits about her for any Heartless that could pop out from around any corner. She didn't make it more than a few feet in when a voice caused her to let out a startled shriek of surprise while she spun on her heel to face the sudden presence.

“You have a death wish, don't you?” Lili saw the familiar figure and the cold voice of Vanitas.

Finally! He was here! Lili dashed to the masked boy. Vanitas didn't so much as flinch as Lili bounded right up to him, a wide smile on her face and eyes sparkling with joy.

“Vanitas! There you are, I've been looking for you!” She greeted.

Vanitas froze in place for a moment at Lili's outburst. Seeming to study her like she had just grown an extra head.

“I see.” He replied after a moment.

Lili's heart was practically bursting with warmth. Finding Vanitas again brought her so much more joy and excitement than even she thought it would. In her excitement Lili latched onto the sleeve of his coat. Both hands tugging on the fabric just above his hand.

“We should do something! Have you explored the city yet?” She asked eagerly as she continued to tug lightly on his sleeve.

While Lili's heart was doing back flips for joy Vanitas tilted his head down to stare in silence at her hands. It took Lili a moment to follow where his gaze was directed, still so caught up in her own excitement.

As if just realizing she had her hands clutched onto his sleeve Lili's face grew hot and she immediately drew them back. Taking a half step away from Vanitas as well for extra measure.

“S-sorry...” She stammered out in her embarrassment.

Vanitas turned his masked head back into the direction of Lili's face. He wasn't much for chit chat. If only she could see his expression to at least get an idea of what he might be thinking. Was he angry, or just annoyed? Both? Or just exasperated.

“Why would I bother exploring it?” He said as if ignoring the entire interaction that took place after her initial question, “It's not like the city has anything important for me there.”

“Ahh, gotcha.” Lili rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, “Then... is it alright if we just stay here and chat for a bit?”

Vanitas sighed, but nodded his head as he leaned up against one of the worn out buildings. Arms crossed and one leg up to rest his foot against the wall.

Lili smiled wide, a pleased giggle escaping her as she moved to lean against the same wall so she could stand next to Vanitas. She couldn't help but stare at him with excited eyes for a minute before finally finding the words to start a conversation.

“So, is this your first time coming to The World of Possibility?” She asked.

Vanitas nodded his head in response but didn't bother speaking up.

Lili nodded her head along and held up an index finger, “Well, I happen to be born and raised here, so if you ever need help getting around I'm perfect for the job!”

Vanitas let out a condescending chuckle. He certainly found the idea of going to her for help quite amusing. Lili wouldn't mind his attitude, she'd started getting used to it in all honesty.

“If you ever do, I live in the small town just over that way.” She said as she pointed west, “The one right between here and the forest we met at last time.”

“That so?” He spoke up in a condescending tone, “Guess I'll have to remember that.”

Lili tilted her head in confusion, “Huh? Oh, I guess it would make sense that I'd live in the town right next to the forest you found me in the other day.” Lili let out an awkward chuckle, “Anyway... Where are you staying while you're here?”

“None of your business.” He replied flatly.

Lili shifted her gaze to the ground dejected. Right, she shouldn't be surprised Vanitas was being so cold. She was probably just bothering him at this point. But, he was still here, and he agreed to talk with her. That had to count for something.

Looking back to the tinted helmet covered head beside her Lili gave him a small smile, “You're a keyblade wielder, right? How did you get your keyblade?”

Vanitas let out a snort, followed by a dark laugh. He bent forward a bit from the sheer force of his taunting laugh. Lili couldn't help but feel like he was making fun of her for some reason. It seemed like a fair enough question though, wasn't it?

“Looking to get one yourself, huh, Princess?” Vanitas held out his arm and the dark gear shaped blade materialized in his hand, “I've always been able to summon my keyblade. It's a part of me.”

Lili let out a tiny, “Oh.” of awe as she gazed at the keyblade in Vanitas' hand.

Lili looked at the blade, seeing it up close like this she could really make out the little details of the weapon. Gear like nature of it, the black chains wrapped around it, and the piercing eye like jewels. Two of them, one just above the hilt and the other just under the tip.

“It's beautiful.” She mumbled, her hands held to her chest to prevent herself from reaching out to touch the keyblade before her.

Vanitas let out a small snort of amusement, twisting his wrist to allow either Lili or himself more a chance to examine it from every angle. She wasn't sure which but she stared at the weapon with more wide eyed curiosity none the less.

“Can I touch it?” She asked.

Vanitas stopped moving the blade. His head titled towards Lili then back to the blade in his hand. He brought it closer to his face for a moment and was quiet. He seemed to be mulling over the question pretty seriously.

“Sure.” He finally answered, stretching out his arm so the blade was right in front of Lili.

Her teal eyes sparkled in absolute awe. He was really allowing her to touch it? Perhaps it wasn't a big deal for him but to think she was about to actually lay her hands on a real keyblade.

Heart hammering against her chest, Lili gingerly reached out and brushed her fingers against the bronze gear that connected the top and bottom halves of the blade.

The power of this weapon was not lost on Lili. She felt it's strength tingle on her finger tips. Vanitas' strength. This blade came from him. No wonder he could cut down the heartless so easily.

“Thank you. It's incredible. I can feel the energy radiating off of it” Lili removed her hands and smiled appreciatively at Vanitas, “You must be incredibly strong.”

Oh this snarky boy was eating up that. His chest puffed out just a bit, he seemed to practically be glowing with a superiority kind of pride. She shouldn't be surprised stroking his ego would be a way to get in his good graces.

“I think you've seen first hand a taste of what I'm capable of,” Vanitas sneered, pushing off the wall, “but I'll give you another demonstration.”

Vanitas pointed the end of his blade at another one of the old buildings across the street. A large ball of fire shooting out and crashing into the wall. Lili felt the rumbling of the ground in her feet as a large hole was blasted into the wall, sending chunks of the building crashing to the ground.

Lili's body froze at the display of power. One part impressed, and another part mildly terrified. Is this how strong keyblade wielders were? That they could just demolish the side of a building like that? Well at the very least Vanitas undoubtedly was.

The dark clad boy turned his visor covered face towards her. He was absolutely showing off and expected it to be acknowledged. A prideful energy was coming off him in waves. Lili was still staring at the hole in the old building.

He didn't need to push her for any praise. Her eyes were round as dinner plates at the display. Impressed was an understatement for how Lili was feeling right about now.

“Wow...” She let out breathlessly before turning back to Vanitas, “That- that was- you- you're amazing!”

Vanitas certainly was a prideful little beastie wasn't he? He was clearly enjoying the attention that was for sure. He looked like he was going to burst from how much his ego was being fed. Chest puffed out and stance confident. For a moment at least. Suddenly he reverted back to his more guarder self and turned away from Lili.

“Thats enough for today.” Vanitas said as he started to walk off.

“Wait!” Lili called as she ran up to grab his sleeve, “We only just started, I want to talk to you more.”

Vanitas spun to face Lili's pouting expression. Ripping his arm out of her grip as he did so. She flinched, had she pressed his temper? What did she do wrong? Everything was fine a moment ago.

“Watch it, Princess!” Vanitas snapped.

Lili backed up at his threatening demeanor. What happened? He was being friendly a minute ago but now he was even worse than snarky. He was down right cold as ice. The change in his mood had a shiver running down Lili's spine.

“B-but I-” She stammered, she wanted desperately to say something but her mind was blank.

Silence hung over the air between the two of them. Tense and uncomfortable. Finally Vanitas turned away from her once more. Lili's heart sank as she averted her gaze. Despite the shock of his outburst she still didn't want him to go. If anything she wanted him to stay even more so now, to try and figure out what was wrong.

Vanitas' voice snapped her from her thoughts, “Tomorrow.”

Lili lifted her head to look at Vanitas' back. His voice wasn't as cold this time. He sounded more so frustrated than anything else.

“Meet me by that weird ass tree tomorrow. Sunset.” He told her before walking off and disappearing from Lili's view.

Lili stood there staring after him even after he was ghone from her sight. She just blinked in confusion while her head tried to keep up with what had just happened. Vanitas was mad, now he was asking to see her again? This boy needed to make up his mind.

Oh well, she couldn't deny the spark of joy that he wanted to see her again. Tomorrow. She could get more time with him then. Oh! And at sunset? Near the glowy tree? She could show him the way it looked at night!

Lili's spirit's were thoroughly lifted after the emotional whiplash Vanitas put her through. She couldn't wait to see him tomorrow.

* * *

Vanitas watched from the top of one of the decaying buildings as the Princess headed back towards home. Good, once she was back inside he could get some real time to himself.

His heart tingled in his chest. It was a foreign sensation that he couldn't place. A remnant of the way she had affected him.

Just what was that feeling. He couldn't place it. An odd vibration of sorts that threw him off balance. Something about her was throwing him out of wack.

He didn't like not knowing what was going on inside himself. Though he wouldn't call the sensation particularly unpleasant, it was unfamiliar. He didn't like not knowing what was going on inside his own heart.

Her stupid light was doing something to him wasn't it? That had to be it, if he spent more time around her maybe he could decipher whatever it was she was doing to him and how he could stop it.


End file.
